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Sunday, September 15, 1912: Went to Sunday School this morning. Was over to see Carrie this afternoon.

A recent late summer photo of a corn field at the edge of McEwensville.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Carrie refers to Grandma’s friend Carrie Stout. She lived on a nearby farm that was located about half way between Grandma’s house and McEwewnsville.

Carrie is the most frequently mentioned friend in the diary—and she seemed to be Grandma’s closest confidant. I think she was a couple of years younger than Grandma.

What did the teens do on a nice September afternoon? . . . chat about the latest happenings? . . . gossip about other friends?. . . giggle about cute buys? . . . go for a walk? . .. explore new things? . . .

You know it was such a beautiful early autumn day today I was actually thinking what Helena did on days like this. I got to thinking about Helena as I went to the library and spent some time in the local history room…I was actually surprised to find nothing on McEwensville and the surrounding areas. Plenty on Danville and Sunbury though.

I suppose that the town is too small to be included in the collection of a library 20 or so miles away. Montgomery House Library on Church St. in McEwensville has some of the McEwensville local history books that were written by local residents over the years.

When I go I will check it out. I am planning on a Saturday afternoon in Oct – so I can enjoy the fall foliage too, sort of killing two birds with one stone…(I really hate that saying, I should find something different to say).

Hello

I look forward to sharing my grandmother's diary with relatives and friends. Helena Muffly (Swartz) kept a diary from 1911-1914. She was 15 years old when she began this diary. I plan to post these entries one day at a time—exactly 100 years after she wrote them. I hope you enjoy this glimpse back to a slower paced time.

The header is a picture of the farm where my grandmother lived when she wrote this diary. It is located in Northumberland County in central Pennsyvlania about a mile outside of McEwenvsille. My father said that the buildings look similar to what they looked like when he was a child.